Numerous people in Ho Chi Minh City have visited various recreational venues, including flower streets and pagodas, during their ongoing celebration of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. 

Amid beautiful sunny weather on Sunday, many families in Ho Chi Minh went to the Nguyen Hue Flower Street as well as numerous public parks and recreational centers to enjoy the first day of their seven-day Tet vacation that began last Friday.

Hieu, a man from Binh Thanh District, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that his family got up as early as 6:00 am Sunday to pay visits to relatives and then came to the Nguyen Hue Flower Street in the city’s downtown District 1.

This image shows four members of the family of Ly Nguyen, a woman in Ho Chi Minh City, posing for a photo at the Nguyen Hue Flower Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, on January 22, 2023 – the first day of the Lunar New Year. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

Hieu said his family would later visit a pagoda to experience moments of peace of mind and make some prayers on the first day of the lunar new year.

“Traveling on city streets and visiting some pagodas on Tet holiday is our family’s annual tradition,” Hieu said.

The man added that this year’s Tet celebration would be of great significance to his daughter as she will go abroad for studies in the coming time.

“Such Tet moments would contribute to reminding our children of their homeland when they are living far away from home,” Hieu said.

A woman and her daughter are seen posing for a photo at the Ho Chi Minh City Spring Flower Festival at Tao Dan Park in District 1 on January 22, 2023. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

Ly Nguyen, another local resident, said she and other female members of her family liked to wear ao dai (Vietnamese traditional costume) when going out and posing for photos during every Tet.  

By noon, despite the weather becoming a bit hotter, waves of visitors kept flocked to the flower street for sightseeing and photographing.     

Meanwhile, the city’s Spring Flower Festival at Tao Dan Park, also in District 1, also attracted a quite large number of visitors after opening a week ago.

This image shows people offering incense at Lady Thien Hau Pagoda in Binh Duong Province’s Thu Dau Mot City, which borders Ho Chi Minh City, on January 22, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Cong Thanh / Tuoi Tre

A great deal of people also gathered in the area in front of the Ben Thanh Market, which had been decorated with landscapes and colorful lights, for photographing.

Meanwhile, visiting pagodas on Tet is also a cultural feature of Vietnamese people, particularly on the first day of the lunar new year.

Many people went to major pagodas in the city, such as Hue Nghiem (in Thu Duc City), Vinh Nghiem (District 3) and Gia Lam (Go Vap District), among others.

A family is seen looking at orchids at a spring flower area in Ho Chi Minh City on January 22, 2023. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

At the crowded Hue Nghiem Pagoda, a man identified himself as Thong told Tuoi Tre that he and his family visited the pagoda to pray for health and peace.

This Tet has seen the pagoda recover all of its activities after a long time of restrictions due to the COVID-19 impacts, Thong said.

Locals also visited Lady Thien Hau Pagoda in the neighboring Binh Duong Province.

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